Winnipeg centre for patient-oriented research opens new doors

The George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI), dedicated to knowledge translation, research collaboration and improved patient outcomes, is hosting a Grand Opening/ribbon cutting event today in its new office space on the University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus.

CHI was established in 2008 as a partnership between the University of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority following a $2.5-M donation by University of Manitoba alumnus, the late pathologist and philanthropist George Yee [MD/60].

As a part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research SUPPORT (Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials) Unit, CHI is one among many provincial centres that work in tandem to facilitate decision-making within the health sector, and fostering best practices in health care, therapies and policies, and promoting collaboration in patient-oriented research.

”We are delighted to partner with the Winnipeg Health Region, the federal and provincial governments to establish the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation as a cutting-edge centre that is spearheading transformative patient-oriented research, knowledge translation and research collaboration that will ultimately improve health systems and patient care,” said Dr. Brian Postl, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences & Vice-Provost,(Health Sciences), University of Manitoba.

CHI has been the birth-place of a number of important research-related breakthroughs. One such success story is a study performed by a multi-disciplinary group from Health Sciences Centre, the University of Manitoba, Canadian Blood Services and Diagnostic Services Manitoba, led by Dr. Ryan Zarychanski, an assistant professor, internal medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and Director of Knowledge Synthesis, CHI.

Through innovative research and systems engineering his team transformed how medical care is provided to severely bleeding patients. A separate research project led by Dr. Zarychanski and conducted at CHI uncovered harm associated with a blood substitute used to resuscitate critically ill patients. This research led to restrictions on how hydroxyethyl starch is used in Winnipeg and around the world.

The Health Sciences Centre was one among the first to see the importance of adopting Zarychanski’s research because it profoundly sped up the delivery of blood to these patients and reduced the time it took for physicians to receive the results of blood tests needed to care for ill patients.

These united efforts will result in significant improvements in the health outcomes for critically ill patients.

“This type of partnership with the University of Manitoba and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research promotes the growth and evolution of health care in our region,” said Réal Cloutier, Vice President and COO of the WRHA. “The innovations made by our researchers have led, and will, lead to many more, important improvements in the care patients receive each day.”

Who:  Hon. Sharon Blady, Minister of Health, Province of Manitoba; Dr. Brian Postl, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences & Vice-Provost (Health Sciences), University of Manitoba; Mr. Real Cloutier, Vice President & COO, WRHA; Dr. Robyn Tamblyn,  Scientific Director, CIHR – Institute of Health Services and Policy Research; and Dr. Lauren Yee, daughter of George & Fay Yee.
What: Grand Opening of the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation
When: Thursday, November 5, 11:30 a.m.
Where: 4th Floor, Chown Building (located next to Brodie Centre), 753 McDermot Avenue, University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus

Dr. Zarychanski and other CHI partners and researchers will be on hand for interviews immediately following the Grand Opening/ribbon cutting ceremony (approximately 12:15) and during the open house from 1 – 4 p.m. where the leads of CHI’s seven platforms will highlight their respective research areas and projects aimed at fostering patient engagement and advancing the quality and quantity of clinical research within Manitoba.

About the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation

The George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation is a partnership between the University of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.  CHI brings together leaders and practitioners from all disciplines in academia and practice to ensure that the latest research and evidence are translated into improved patient outcomes, enhanced patient experiences and improved access to care for Manitobans. For more information please visit chimb.ca.

About The University of Manitoba, Faculty of Health Sciences

The University of Manitoba, founded in 1877 as Western Canada’s first university, is the province’s only research-intensive university, educating the majority of professionals in Manitoba and a trailblazer in many areas of learning, research, discovery and community engagement. The Faculty of Health Sciences, comprised of the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Rehabilitation Sciences, offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate educational programs in the health professions and basic medical sciences to over 3,100 students. The Faculty of Health Sciences is a research leader in the areas of immunity, inflammation and infectious disease; population and global health; and patient oriented research. It receives external research funding of more than $80 million annually.

About the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is responsible for co-ordinating and delivering health services, and promoting well-being within the Winnipeg and Churchill geographical areas. With approximately 28,000 people working within the region and an annual operating budget of nearly $2.6 billion, it is the largest health authority in Manitoba. The health authority serves residents of the city of Winnipeg as well as the northern community of Churchill, and the rural municipalities of East and West St. Paul, representing a total population of over 700,000. The health authority also provides support and specialty referral services to nearly half a million Manitobans who live beyond these boundaries, as well as residents of northwestern Ontario and Nunavut.

For more information contact Ilana Simon, Director of Communications & Marketing, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 204- 789-3427 or cell 204-295-6777  ilana.simon@umanitoba.ca.